Rotary pump with elastic rotor sealing rib



Feb. 8, 1949. J. SIMER )u. 2,460,952

ROTARY PUMP WITH ELASTIC ROTOR SEALING RIB Filed July 28, 1945 Patented Feb. 8,1949

UNITED sures PATENT orrlcs ROTARY PUMP WITH ELAS TIC ROTOR SEALING RIB Jerome Simer and Ernest E. Cook, Minneapolis,

Minn., assignors to Paddle Pumps, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application July 28, 1945, Serial No. 607,618

2 Claims. (Cl. 103-117) Our invention relates to fluid pumps and more particularly to the provision of adequate pressure seals therefor.

A primary object of our invention is to provide a quick-acting and positive seal for the above purpose.

Another object of our invention is to provide a seal which is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install, and has long life.

Another object of our invention is the provision of a novel self-sealing rotor for fluid pumps.

The above and other objects of our invention will become apparent from the following specification and the attached drawings.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the sever-- views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of our novel pump. some parts being removed to show the interior thereof;

Fig. 2 is a vertical axial section of the rotor shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4- is a vertical axial section of a modifled form of our invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral l indicates a pump casing or housing which is provided with an intake port 2 and an outlet port 3.

On the inside, the housing is provided with a smooth cylindrical wall 4 at its periphery. A pair of axially spaced side plates 5 are provided with axially projecting bearing bosses 6. Studs l, which fit into threaded holes 8 in the housing I, make it possible to remove the side plates 5 at will. A shaft 9 is journalled for rotation in the bearing bosses 6 of side plates 5, eccentric with respect to the axis of cylindrical wall 4, and is shown as having its ends projecting outwardly therefrom. Side plates -5 are shown as being provided with opposed parallel smooth walls l0.

Mounted fast on shaft 9 for rotation within the housing, is a rotor II, made preferably of rubber or other flexible resilient material and having a plurality of integrally formed, resilient, radial vanes l2.

The straight side edges l3 of rotor H are flush with the smooth walls III of the side plates 5, that is, snug enough to prevent excess leakage of the fluid being propelled by the radial vanes l2, but not tight enough to cause excess friction. In the structure shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the rotor II is provided with axially projecting endless, resilient ribs which surround shaft 8 and preferably, and as shown, are concentric therewith. An endless concentric channel It separates ribs ll from shaft 9 whereas a likewise endless concentric channel it defines the radially outer limits of said ribs. As shown, particularly in Figs. 2 and 3, ribs ll project axially outwardly slightly beyond the straight side edges ll of the rotor ll so as topress or rub with greater force against the smooth inside walls or surfaces l0, than does the edge l3 of the rotor l i.

As shown, ribs it are provided with cross-sectionally concave faces I! throughout their circumference. Also, the sides of the ribs l4 taper inwardly from their faces I! toward their medial portions as indicated by the numeral I8, whereby to create feathered outer edges l9.

In the modified construction, shown in Fig. 4,

the shaft 9 is provided with a rotor 20 which,

while shown as being formed integrally with the shaft 9, can be made separately from any suitable hard material and made fast thereto. In any event, rotor, 20 has straight side edges 2| which are in substantial alignment with straight side edges 22 of casing I. The peripheral outside surface of rotor 20 is provided with an overlying layer of rubber or other suitable material 23 to which are integrally formed the resilient radially extending vanes l2.

Inset in straight walls 22 of side plates 5 are resilient endless ribs 24 of the same general construction as the ribs ll of Figs. 1, 2 and 3. An endless-channel 25 separates rib 24 from shaft 8, and endless channel 26 defines the outer radial limits of rib 24. I

Operation the partial vacuum is at the bottom thereof, it

will be observed that the concave faces I! have become somewhat flattened as they are firmly compressed against the smooth walls IQ of the housing, thereby creating a suction-cupeflect;

As the ribs I4 rotate within the housing they are constantly subjected to a torque or twisting action as any given position thereon passes from the lower vacuum side of the housing I to the upper pressure side thereof. This torque or lateral flexing is, of course, greatly facilitated by the fact that the ribs I 4 are narrower at their centers is was at n. Furthermore, the

feathered edges I0, because of their extreme flexibility, make possible a considerable lateral twisting of the ribs I, by virtue of the reversal in pressures, without breaking of the seal.

We find this seal highly satisfactory in that it has an extremely high degree of emciency with but negligible friction.

The simplicity and utility of our invention is thought to be made obvious from the foregoing description and it will, of course, be understood that various alterations and changes in the detailsof construction and arrangement of parts may be made within the scope of the invention herein disclosed and claimed.

What we claim is:

1. In a fluid pump including a housing member having a cylindrical wall, spaced parallel side walls having smooth inner surfaces, spaced inlet and outlet ports, a shaft extending through at least one of said side walls and journalled for rotation therein, a rotor member mounted on said shaft for rotation within said housing member, said rotor member having side surfaces ad- ,iacent said surfaces of the side walls; the improvement which comprises pressure sealing means between the housing member and rotor member and which includes a resilient endless rib projecting laterally from one of said members in surrounding relation to said shaft, said rib having a concave face in yieldable bearing engagement with an adjacent surface of the other of said members with the rib under compression, and said rib having an undercut side wall defining between same and said concave face a feathered edge in sealing engagement with said surface of the other of said members.

2. In a fluid pump including a housing having a cylindrical-wall, spaced parallel side walls having smooth inner surfaces, spaced inlet and outlet ports, a shaft extending through at least one of said side walls and ioumalled for rotation therein. a rotor mounted on said shaft for rotation within said housing, said rotor having side surfaces adjacent said surfaces of the side walls; the improvement which comprises pressure sealing means between the housing and rotor and which includes a resilient endless rib projecting laterally from said rotor at each side thereof and in surrounding relation to said shaft, each of said ribs having a concave face in yieldable bearing engagement with a side wall surface and said ribs further having feathered edges at opposite sides of the concave face in tight sealing engagement with said side wall surfaces, and restricted body portions to provide for ready flexing of the ribs, said ribs having concave side walls which with said concave face provide said feathered edges and said concave side walls providing said restricted portions in the ribs for ready flexing thereof for operative movement of the rotor.

JEROME SIMER. ERNEST E. COOK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,543,163 Johnson et al June 23, 1925 2,021,346 Allen Nov, 19, 1935 2,212,939 Irgens Aug. 27, 1940 2,258,371 Wernert Oct. 7, 1941 2,373,443 Armington Apr. 10, 1945 2,391,007 Buckendale Dec. 18, 1945 2,403,796 Hanna July 9, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 351,741 Great Britain July 2, 1931 

